Frequently asked questions in COVID-19 healthcare

What filters should be used on our non-invasive and invasive ventilators?

It is important to note that the V60 / V60 Plus ventilator is designed with three layers of filters: the air inlet filter, the main flow bacteria filter, and a filter on the patient circuit exhalation port. It is suggested that customers follow the instructions in the V60 / V60 Plus ventilator User Manual to filter air for delivery to the patient with the air inlet filter, to always use a main flow bacteria filter on the patient gas outlet port, and recommending use of a filter on the patient circuit exhalation port.

Can the V60 be used for invasive ventilator support?

V60 has proven performance in both invasive and noninvasive ventilation. The Philips Respironics V60 Ventilator is a microprocessor-controlled, bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) ventilatory assist system that provides noninvasive positive pressure ventilation and invasive ventilatory support for spontaneously breathing adult and pediatric patients.

Although it will effectively filter (> 99.99% efficiency) the exhaled gas passing through the exhalation port, most patient interfaces will leak some amount of gas due to an unintended leak where the cushion is in contact with the skin.

How often should the bacterial filter be replaced?

The frequency and timing of filter replacement will vary by patient and usage. It is recommended to change the filter between patients and at regular intervals (or as stated by the manufacturer).

Can I use hospital wipes with bleach on Philips/Respironics hospital multi-patient use masks?

Please read complete Instructions for Use, which state: Do not use bleach, alcohol, cleaning solutions containing bleach or alcohol, or cleaning solutions containing conditioners or moisturizers.

Do the air filters on ultrasound systems filter COVID-19?

Like other medical devices, Philips cooling systems and system filters are designed to ensure proper functioning of the machines in a variety of hospital and clinical environments. The cooling system filters are designed to prevent dust and particle build-up in our systems, but have not been designed for pathogen filtering. Most system filters on Philips ultrasound products are user-removable and can be cleaned and disinfected. We defer to the official CDC guidance on the transport classification and mechanisms for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

What transducers do we recommended for lung ultrasound?

There are preference variations. For small patients, linear arrays may be best, but curved abdominal works well. Curved arrays are the most appropriate for lung overall; however, cardiac transducers work well and can scan both lung and heart.

Has Philips increased its production of ventilators and other critical care products?

Philips is working around the clock to ramp up production of hospital ventilators and other critical care products to help diagnose and treat patients with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). As initially communicated in March, we are doubling our production of hospital ventilators in May and will achieve a four-fold increase by the third quarter of 2020.

Our efforts to increase production have included:

Hiring additional manufacturing employees and shifting current employees to support increased demand immediately;

Adding manufacturing lines and increasing the number of shifts to 24/7 shifts;

Working closely with Philips’ suppliers to secure materials supply to feed the increased production at our manufacturing sites;

What other products and services does Philips offer to help diagnose and treat COVID-19?

Our most needed products right now include our patient vital-signs monitors and portable ventilators and medical consumables for non-invasive and invasive ventilation to treat a broad range of respiratory conditions.

Philips products and solutions to manage COVID-19 include:

Critical care point-solutions to treat respiratory disease. These include patient monitoring solutions to monitor a patient’s vital signs and detect subtle changes, and ventilators and medical consumables for invasive, non-invasive and mixed-mode ventilation to treat a broad range of respiratory conditions.

Philips is actively engaging with hospitals, the medical technology industry, governments, the World Health Organization and other health authorities to safeguard and facilitate the production and shipment of life-saving medical equipment and healthcare services to address the critical care demands of COVID-19. If you are not a current customer or if you're a governemental representative, you can contact us here.

Can I purchase a ventilator from Philips for myself or a loved one?

Philips invasive and noninvasive ventilators are not available for sale to individuals, and can only be sold to hospitals, home medical equipment providers (DME companies), long term care facilities, medical transport, and government organizations.

Philips offers a broad portfolio of respiratory and oxygen products that are available through a physician’s prescription. You can view our portfolio of sleep and respiratory products here.

As a hospital, what is the best way to contact Philips for help or support during COVID-19?

Please continue to work with your account executive or local sales representatives. If you need to speak with someone in Philips’ leadership, your account executive or local sales representative can help facilitate those discussions. If you’re not a current customer please contact us here.

For technical support and product servicing, we strongly recommend that only trained service personnel who have knowledge and experience with our ventilators, and who have read and comply with the instructions in the service manual, should service Philips ventilators.

Who can obtain parts needed to repair these ventilators?

Customers can continue to order parts directly from their Philips account executive or technical support contact. Third party service providers can continue to order parts through distributors.

How will COVID-19 impact Philips’ business continuity?

Philips maintains a Business Continuity Management System, which is aligned to, and certified against, the international standard for Business Continuity ISO 22301:2012. We are constantly reviewing precautionary measures based on WHO and national authority guidelines.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Philips has been able to continue its business operations around the world. As expected, we are seeing decreased demand for our consumer product portfolio in the most affected regions, and increased demand for our professional healthcare portfolio.

Philips has a balanced manufacturing footprint across the globe, with manufacturing sites in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia, including several in China. In line with our business continuity system, we have implemented the relevant safety protocols in all our worldwide sites.

What other efforts is Philips undertaking to assist communities impacted by COVID-19?

The Philips Foundation has efforts underway globally to combat the COVID-19 outbreak in China, Kenya, Italy and beyond. The Philips Foundation is the central platform for Philips’ corporate social responsibility activities, founded on the belief that through innovation and collaboration we can solve some of the world’s toughest challenges and make an impact where it really matters. Updates appear regularly on the Philips News Center.

Tutorial videos for COVID-19 treatment

Philips Respironics E30

getting started video

Philips Respironics V60

Use for Invasive Ventilation

Philips MobileDiagnost wDR

Mobile digital radiography system

Philips IntelliVue Patient Monitoring

Basic Operation

Philips IntelliVue Patient Monitoring

Understanding Alarms

Philips respironics V680 ventilator Chapter one easy-to-use Trilogy 100 is designed for home, hospital and acute - care use to

We're with you

Organized to assist

We've aligned our resources and capabilities to help provide care systems with expedited access to information and healthcare solutions to meet their patient care needs.

Actively adapting

We're adapting and advancing our products and technologies to help address the complexities of the illness, patient populations and care conditions.

Creating connections

We're leveraging our infrastructure and platforms to connect care teams and help care systems communicate as efficiently as possible as they navigate the preparation, response and recovery efforts.

Seeing the life-saving community in action around us keeps us hopeful and motivates us to stay focused on our core responsibilities: fulfilling critical customer needs; ensuring the health and safety of employees; and supporting the wellbeing of people around the world.

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By clicking on the link, you will be leaving the official Royal Philips Healthcare ("Philips") website. Any links to third-party websites that may appear on this site are provided only for your convenience and in no way represent any affiliation or endorsement of the information provided on those linked websites. Philips makes no representations or warranties of any kind with regard to any third-party websites or the information contained therein.